Florida According to THE Spreadsheet... Day 7

[clubhouse]

Day 7 – Wednesday 8th September

Hollywood Studios and Epcot, Le Cellier
Surprisingly we managed to get up at 7.20am. I say surprisingly because we have had a few busy days and not a whole lot of rest. The concept of relaxing on holiday seems to be lost on us!

We are out and in the car by 8.20am and I hold my hand up to the charge of being a bad mother as he kids are handed their juice cups, a slice of toast on some kitchen paper and some lucky charms in a cup (I learned this tip on John and Kate Plus Eight), I felt bad about it but at least they got something). They thought it was a great idea and at least it wasn’t our own car if there were any accidents.

We soon arrive at DHS and have our kerching moment when we glide past the parking booths. We park up at Stage 42

and the parking lot seems relatively quiet. We’re close enough to walk in so no hassle collapsing the buggy etc. From memory we must have missed rope drop as I have no notes about this, but it can’t have been by much. We encounter some of the streetmosphere cast members

and DH makes a dash for some Toy Story Mania fast passes. We didn’t manage to ride this last year and DS is Toy Story mad. He gets a return time of 10.05am – 11.05am, we are quite chuffed, although the stand by line is very, very long, wouldn’t fancy waiting in that today as it is meltingly hot.

We have a bit of a walk round the park and decide to do the Back Lot Tour as we didn’t do this either last year. DD is in fine fettle as we wait for the show to start.


We all enjoy this although the kids were a bit on edge during the water sequence. At least during this bit we all managed to cool down a bit. We have a browse round the museumy bit at the end and the kids are quite taken with the Darth Vader display.


DD is being very cute today and is cooperating and wearing her ears so i can get a few nice pics.

After the tour we take a walk round the streets of America,

to be honest we are searching for the Writers Stop which DH and I have challenged ourselves to find. This is our 4th visit and we have never yet been here. It’s on THE spreadsheet as a must do because we have read about the carrot cake cookies on several trip report now and they have caused much excitement and anticipation in our house. Sad I know, but that’s how it goes when you’ve two young children and not much social life.

Hurrah, we find it and take a commemorative snap.

We manage to sit down and purchase the aforementioned carrot cake cookie and have a late between us. This costs us 2 snack credits – only 33 to go – this would have been $6.14. This place is tiny and soon there is a very large queue and not much room to move.

The kids are beginning to act up a bit, in hind sight that could have been down to the top quality breakfast, what do you think DIBBers? So we make a sharp exit and tell them we’re off to Toy Story Mania.
After a modelling session with our 3D glasses


we are soon loaded into our cars, DH and DS together and I am teamed with DD. We have a great time and I manage a respectable (or so I think) score. It helped that we have the Wii game which is very similar.

When we come off TSM DD and DS encounter a green soldier and they are very inquisitive, the soldier was very good with them.

As we are walking round we notice that the Wild Cats are about to start their show. We didn’t think the kids would be into this but they are transfixed by High Sky Musical (as they called it). My DH was feeling very kind and had sensed my roller coaster panic (ie I panic I will not get a go!) so he sent me off to have a few goes on The Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster. I love these rides but will admit that riding alone takes the shine off it a bit – it’s much better to share it with some one – but needs must and all that.

By now it’s 11.55 and I call DH and we meet near the Jedi Training Academy DS has a full scale melt down as there are no places left and he can’t have a go. He is just starting to get interested in Star Wars, it’s probably DH getting his own back for all the Disney brainwashing I’ve done over the years but the pull of being on stage with Darth Vader is just too strong. It’s probably down to the heat also as we are all getting a bit irritable. We decide bribery is the way to go this time and we move on to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area, which is brilliant and the kids love it, DS forgets about his Jedi Training. I have a few panicky moments as it is very easy to lose sight of them in here. One minute all’s well

and the next we realise it’s time to cool off and grab a bit of lunch.

We choose the Studio Catering Company.
DH and I share a Buffalo Chicken sandwich with fries and cheesecake with a large diet coke and the kids split an adult Chicken nuggets and fries with a bottle of apple juice. This is a huge amount of food which I forget to take photos of – sorry food pic lovers. Two meals were more than enough for all 4 of us. Our receipt only shows 2 quick service credits but I think this should have cost about $26.
So by now we are all a bit tired and THE Spreadsheet tells us we are going to Epcot this evening for a meal at Le Cellier, which we are looking forward to after having a great time here last year. Both children go into meltdown mode now as they was to go back and play again. This time it’s embarrassing as they are loud and thrashy. We strap them both into the buggy and make for the exit and on to the car. They settle down as we head back but are still in the huff.

We’re home by 1pm and all head to bed for a much needed rest.

[clubhouse]

Continued from above.

The alarm wakes us at 3.20pm and we are showered and dressed by 4.10pm.

We quickly get to Epcot and park here:

We make our way straight to Le Cellier and the checkin is very good, much better than the California Grill, the cast members here are actually interested. We are expecting a bit of wait as it’s always so busy here but are pleased to be taken slightly early.

The service in here is excellent and our server introducers herself, talks us through the menu and her recommendations. This is wasted on us as we had already decided before leaving Scotland that we would both be having the Fillet with Mushroom Risotto, the children share a Pizza. We have a glass of wine and a soft drink and the kids stick to apple juice.

We are soon brought some of the lovely bread and DD is in her element. She loves bread. We soon finish the bread and she finds a use for the bread holder.


Our food arrives quickly and we all tuck in.


It’s delicious. However DH had requested his steak to be medium and it is definitely well done. He tells our server this and she whisks his meal away. I am very rude and continue eating . In under 5 minutes a brand new meal is brought out by the chef who apologises and asks DH to check this one. It’s all good and we are totally impressed by the professionalism here.

When we finish we are a bit stuffed but as we are on Dining Plan we need to have a dessert. I kept telling myself this over the whole holiday – you need to have it, its the rules – over and over and by the end I believed, but was worried how I was going to fit into my work clothes when I got back home! We chose Chocolate Moose, Brownie Smores and an Icecream Sundae.


I enjoyed the brownie part of mine and wasn’t so keen on the marshmallow part because of the sprinkles, DD however loved this bit.


DH says the Moose was ok, DS was more taken with it and wanted to eat the tongue, here he is modelling it.


We settle our bill, now I have lost the receipt for this so can’t say how much it should have cost, but out of pocket we paid $39.10 as its on our room charges.

DH and I need to walk off some of that delicious meal so we decide to walk back to Spaceship Earth. On the way we try to get some more Photopass pics and again the kids are not being all that cooperative (as usual), we manage to get a few funny face pics on our own camera though.

We have a few rides on The Big Ball and email the postcards back to ourselves this time. I like this ride as I can have a bit of a rest on it. From here we head off to Test Track, its a walk on and DH takes DS, they have a great time so I get to take him on too. DD is amused going through the water sprays at club cool.

Next we head onto Mission Space as I want a go this time. Again no wait, it’s as good as I remember. We didn’t manage this ride last year so it’s been long time and I had read it had changed. DH had been entertaining the kids at the play area and they are still amused so I send him off for a shot. I am impressed that I am managing to get some of this things done that I wanted to do as well as keeping the kids happy. We have some fun in the gift shop, trying on the Space hats.


We move onto Sunshine Seasons we all have a drink. Soarin is a walk on and it’d be rude not to ride this. We sort out a baby swap pass and DH takes DS on first. DD and I amuse ourselves for a while and she is getting a bit hyper. I break out the teddybear biscuits and she is ok. Where would mothers be if it weren’t for bribery? Or is it just me? When DH and DS get back we swap and DS get 2 go’s – he really does have the best deal this year. DD is getting a bit bored by the time we get back.

It’s getting dark now and the kids decide they want some photos taken with the Nemo characters, so of course we do that and get one or 2 decent shots.


The call of the Mipes (Seagulls) is too great and we have a ride on the Nemo ride again. We decided to do Turtle Talk with Crush but have just missed a show. We amuse ourselves in the Seas exhibit, take more photos with Bruce and his pals

and generally let the kids let off some steam. When we do get in to Turtle Talk we enjoy the show but thought it would have been better when it’s busier – it was just us and another 3 or 4 people. Thankfully the kids are well behaved and they are in awe of Crush. We have a bit of a panic when we can’t find the buggy when we get out. But it’s just been rearranged in the stroller parking area, we get the kids strapped in and watch the fireworks on our way out of the park.

We are soon home and in bed and settled by 9.50pm. There’s still no towel animal, v v disappointed.

Tomorrow ... Magic Kingdom, Crystal Palace

[Milner]

Lovely day and photos your kids are so cute.

[MrsGFareham]

great pics and what gorgeous children x

[Guest]

Been waiting for further days! A great day was had by all, and the pics of your children are gorgeous!

[happy08]

A great day with fab pictures x

[Ariel's Mum]

Fab day...

Love the breakfast, wish I'd though of that when ours were wee!

[sungiggs]

great day

[pudge]

another fab day

[summersun]

great day and fab pics